Fat Dogs- A cause for concern...

Obesity in any animal is a serious problem. Whilst there are certain breeds that seem more prone to becoming fat (such as labradors, retreivers and spaniels for example), most dogs are fat because they either over eat, or do not get excercised enough. Many dogs are just not getting enough exercise to burn off the calories that they are consuming.

The British Veterinary Association estimate that 30-50% of all pets within the UK are clinically overweight, and according to Purina, who are major manufacturers of animal feeds around 25-30% of dogs suffer from obesity, or at a high risk of becoming obese.

Being overweight is very unhealthy for dogs because it can cause all sorts of problems such as:

• Stress on their major organs.
• Musculoskeletal problems- like arthiritis- because the extra weight adds stress to the joints and can damage the cartilage matrix.
• Diabetes.
  
• Difficulties in breathing, walking and excercising.

How do I know if my dog is overweight?

Obesity is not hard to recognise, but lots of us fail to notice a problem, becasue dogs can put on weight gradually over a period of time; which is not unlike myself!

Seriously though, the simplest way to check if your dog is overweight is to see if you can feel his or her ribs.

The benefits of helping your dog to lose weight are pretty obvious; a healthier dog will be a happier dog, and is sure to be more active and playful.

• The first recommendation is to exercise your dog more often, but this may not always be possible due to their age or condition...

• If you have a smaller dog, are you in the habit of carrying him or her around? (a la 'Paris Hilton' or 'Britney Spears'). If so, try to let your dog walk... it's why they have legs afterall!

• Try to cut back on treats and tit bits. Don't get me wrong; all dogs deserve a treat every now and then- but try not to over indulge them- Remember that many popular branded treats are very rich in calories!

• Avoid overfeeding- The recommended average to feed is 100g or 3oz of dry dog food per 5kg or 10lb of bodyweight. (Although this guide can vary depending on how active your dog is)
  

• Don't top up the food bowl as soon as your dog has finished eating. If the dog doesn't eat it all, then leave it, as they may come back later. (However, if you wet or soak the food, it is advisable to discard it). If you keep topping the food bowl up as soon as it is empty then you are overfeeding your dog, and your dog is likely to overeat out of boredom.

• Reconsider your dog's diet:

Choosing the Right Diet for your overweight dog:

There is a vast array of weight control diets for dogs on the market.

Firstly- do not be fooled by some of the 'lite' type claims. Quite often, these foods may only be 1% lower in oil when compared to the 'regular' food within that same range- which hardly makes it a diet in my opinion!

My reason for writing this guide was becasue I get a lot of communication from people asking if I can supply them with 'something similar to a very expensive diet that their vet has recommended'. As a dog owner myself, I know that we all want to give our dogs the best- but this does not mean that you have to re-mortgage your house in order to do so!

Firstly, I think that it is very unfair that people find themselves pressured into spening lots of money on dog food like 'prescription type' diets. Whilst I am in no way disputing the fact that such diets are very good quality- I simply do not agree with the prices that they command- because as a manufacturer, I know the true cost, and it also upsets me to hear that people are feel that they are bullied into buying expensive food- often by their vet!

If you are reading this and the above paragrpah sounds familiar- Please remember that your supplier is on commisson- maybe you can ask how much they get for selling the food? Or perhaps you could enquire as to whether the food really is a prescription diet (i.e. is it medically licenced), because if it isn't, you might be able to buy it elsewhere at a better price.

If you are looking for a new food for your overweight dog, then please take a look at our F-Plan Weight Control Diet. It may be just what you are after.

It is a specially formulated diet for dogs who are obese, overweight or have the tendency to gain weight easily. It is also a great choice for less active breeds and senior dogs due to it's low energy and protein content.

This food is available to buy in my ebay store for 17.99 for 10kg. It is also available to buy from all good pet shops. Please see the the fplan dog food website for more details of stockists and for further details about the food; including customer testimonials.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a cheaper weight control type dog food, please also see our Senior and Lite Diet.

This food is available to buy in my ebay store for 12.50 for 15kg.

I hope that you have found this guide useful- if you want any advice at all, or have any questions, please feel free to send me a message via my messages.

Thank you!
Donna.